How I get into fat-burning mode

I promised to get back to y'all about what I have learned about getting into fat-burning mode.

First, just want to remind newer readers who haven't read all the history, I lost most of my weight on a lower carb diet, and did not get to the 20-30 carb gram level until much later in the process.  But eventually, even while on LC plans like Protein Power, I found I couldn't lose weight, maintain my weight or even contain cravings.

It wasn't really carb creep in my case.  Well it was sort of.  What it was was that I just couldn't quit eating, just like how I was before I started losing weight, only this time, I was eating protein and fat all day instead of grilled cheese sandwiches.

What was going on?  Well, I read that after a while, people on LC get used to it and are able to extract more glucose out of whatever very efficiently.  It was probably the case that I went out of fat-burning mode, stayed out, and didn't even realize it, because, "well, I'm on a low carb diet, aren't I?"

Just two or three carby meals in sequence would knock me out of whack for weeks or even months.  I tried to get back on the plan, but just couldn't.  Eventually I went on the VLC Rosedale plan, but after a couple days of hell, I realized how much different I felt.  How could I have been on a LC diet for most of the time and probably not be in ketosis all that time?

Diving into that state was very difficult, resulting in a night of anxiety and agitation.  No wonder I wanted to eat food to calm it down.  Eventually I knew what to expect, and so would white-knuckle my way back in.  Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night with dread, my heart beating.  Not too fun, but I already knew it was coming, so learned to handle it.

Last year I took advantage of Dr. Eades offer for free Metabosol.  While I didn't lose much weight for the week I used it, it did curb food cravings enough to get me back on track.  I eventually abandoned Metabosol to start the leptin reset.  I gave one free container to my sister, who was also having trouble with carb cravings.  The other container I guarded with my life, because at the time, Metabosol wasn't available.  I used it to get back into whack.  I had to only drink about two or three servings, and then I would enter this nice state where I was no longer hungry.  For some reason, taking Metabosol also made me relaxed and sleepy enough for a great night's sleep. (Something I never had whenever I tried Rosedale.)

Eventually I tried CT, and found that it worked much the same way.  I started CT'ing every time I ate a carby meal, kind of like the exercise recommendation recommended by Rosedale, only I didn't have to worry about over-exercising and  the accompanying exhaustion.  CT was just wonderful.  I would start hungry, but end up relaxed, pain-free and no longer hungry, and all that was topped off with the most wonderful night of sleep ever.

Now I use both the Metabosol and CT to get back on track, and find that while they both help all by themselves, if I am having a particularly tough time (like after a holiday!!!), I'll do both.

Another interesting thing that I have noticed about CT is that ever since I have been doing it, I never get cold when I restart a low carb diet.  I used to always get cold, and though not as bad as when I did calorie restriction diets in the past.

In the future, I'll do posts on several of my n=1 experiments with different diets.  It is not really a set of fair comparisons, because I confound everything with my life, the seasons, advancing age and my continual improvement.